Fire and Foreboding - Part 2

Jyon merely stopped, lowered his bow, his mouth part hanging open as he studied the man. Gaeljwen stood back, surveying this newcomer from head to toe, as if to take in his strength and his business there, still slightly wary.
They were both surprised when suddenly, after a moment’s pause, Commander Fraeduin sheathed his massive, two-handed sword back in its scabbard, and bowed. He bowed very low, his beard nearly touching the ice he stood in. When he stood up, facing the stranger, a look of slight annoyance had crept over the blue and white man’s weathered features.
“Do not bow to me, soldier.” He said aloud, in a slightly different, warning tone. “I am only a man, equal to you, like you. There is only One person you should bow to.”
For a long moment, the commander didn’t respond, his questioning, dark blue gaze studying the strange traveler’s harder, serious one.
“True enough. But I’ve been taught to respect authority.”
The other blue and white clad stranger, apparently a ‘ponderer,’ as Jyon put it afterward, seemed to think about that statement for a moment before laying it aside.
“I am master to no man, and no man is servant to me, soldier.” Asa spoke again. “But as it is, I’m curious as to why you’re here. I suppose for the same reason I am?”
“That would depend on your reasons, then.” Standing up again straight, a little bit of slight suspicion crept into Fraeduin’s eyes, though he still regarded this man with a sense of wonder.
“Is this your castle?” Asa gestured around him at the ruins. So far he hadn’t even made a move for his slender, straight long sword in its scabbard, as though he were perfectly comfortable and at ease there. He did seem to be a very cool, collected type, Gaeljwen noted.
“Oh no, hardly. Technically, it belongs to my liege lady, Countess India of Vadirska.” The huscarl commander started to say, and then suddenly stopped himself, realizing the possible foolishness of his actions.
“Bah! Idiot.” He informed himself, and then took a step back, still wary of the newcomer.
“Stranger I’m going to ask you straight out, I don’t have time for games and word plays! What are you? Are you what I think you are? Speak!” His temper slightly rising, he laid a hand on his sword pommel.
The other smiled ever so slightly, and then reached up to his forehead. He pushed back some of the iced, dark hair that lay on his forehead, revealing something that made Jyon take in a slight breath, and nearly made Gaeljwen fall over in a faint.
The very same mark that Gaeljwen had upon his forehead was on that man too! The strange symbol, as though it had been burned onto his forehead, a circle with two arcs on either side. It was there for a minute, until the stranger let his hair fall back again.
“I am an Amaras. Amaras Asa at your service, gentlemen.” Asa nodded to them in a gesture of polite service, though despite the humility of his words, he seemed to carry a strange air of majesty and quiet strength about him.
Gaeljwen was about to burst out in a hundred questions, when Fraeduin caught the movement and laid a hand on his recruit’s shoulder, silencing him. “Amaras Asa. I am honored. It has been a long time since we saw any Amaras in Savarica.” He paused, “It is an honor, Master Amaras.”
Asa smiled wide. “Enough, then! I am just servant like you. In the meantime, will you share my fire?” He gestured over towards the far side of the ruins, where apparently there was still enough shelter to keep a small camp. “I’ve been here since yesterday morning, you men are the first I’ve seen here since I got here. Except for the dead.” He looked over grimly at the corpses.
“I don’t suppose I could ask why you’re here?” Said Fraeduin quickly. Torn between a protective suspicion and loyalty to his countess, and some wonder and awe of this man stepped out of his history books, the huscarl commander was thinking fast.
“Not at all. I just wandered out from my fire to see who was here with me, but I need to get back to it. I’m expecting someone else to return soon for me.”
“Ah.” Fraeduin put that away for future reference, grabbed the boys and pushed them in front of him, and started walking. The Amaras turned with a nod of assurance and strode off through the snow, his boots nearly lost in the high ice, striding back towards the denser part of the ruin. The three Vadirska soldiers followed slightly behind him.
“Was that…commander! Fraeduin!” Slipping up on proper address, Gaeljwen called his superior by name to get his attention.
At the moment, Fraeduin was too lost in thought to mind. What the blazes was going on?!
“Eh? What? Oh…yes, boy, that was an Amaras. You noted the blue and white tunic and the symbol? That’s all the signs of an Amaras.” He thought for moment, a darker thought interrupting. “Either that or a very good pretender.” He spat, watching the back of the blue and white stranger carefully. His weathered gray cloak fluttered in the rising wind, the Amaras had to push his way back through the snow towards the more comfortable parts of the wreckage. Now as they got closer to the fallen in keep, Gaeljwen could see the slight glow of a fire further inside.
“An Amaras…” Jyon merely shook his head. To both young boys, who knew little history and even less experience, Amaras were more than just historical, they were legendary. Dragons and Amaras? Gaeljwen’s mind went in circles as he tried to sort out the sudden turn of events.
“He had the same mark I have, commander!” The boy spoke up, over the wind. “The very same one!”
Fraeduin said nothing. He had been ordered to say nothing.

As they managed to climb and work their way through the dense area of the stone and mortar ruins, over fallen columns and under pieces of the walls, the three of them saw the Amaras disappear into a darker corner of the part-fallen keep, still under half a roof of rubble, where the little glow of his fire still burned. Fraeduin bodily picked up Jyon and threw him over a high piece of fallen stone, lifted Gaeljwen, and then scrambled up himself, huffing and puffing as he went.
The fire was small but warm, and certainly warmer than the outside wind and ice when the three bent over and nearly crawled into the low area where the Amaras now sat hunched over his fire, studying the flames and looking up as he guests entered.
“I am sorry gentlemen, this was the best spot we could find.” He offered a smile. “It keeps us warm though.” As the managed to get in and sit at various angles around the fire, Asa sighed.
“You said then that this castle belongs to Countess India?”
“Technically.” The commander nodded and brushed some ice from his beard. “But suppose you tell me what you’re doing here…if you don’t mind, Master Amaras. It’s…well, slightly important that I…”
The Amaras nodded and raised a hand. “Yes, yes, I understand. I’m trespassing on your countess’s land. I’m sure I look pretty suspicious too…conveniently here on a lost battlefield.”
“Something like that, yes.” The huscarl nodded grimly, looking up and gazing at the Amaras’ features with intense study.
Asa was quiet for a long minute, as if sorting out how to tell his story. At length he spoke again. The two boys merely moved a little closer to the fire and watched, Gaeljwen’s mouth nearly hanging open and Jyon’s eyes as big as his arrowheads.
“Let’s see…I suppose the reason I’m here is because I was looking for someone.” He paused. “My brother, actually. You see, my brother traveled to this land years ago, and last I heard he had become a farmer on the river. Or something like that. I know not really what my family did up here.” He stopped for a moment before continuing.
“I come from the far south, gentlemen. From far Hestyri I journeyed, having lived there all my life when my brother and his family wanted to travel here. At the time we parted I was already nearly a full Amaras and he an honorable man. But he was a traveler. Like myself, I suppose. But that was not why I came here at first, at any rate.”
“Then why? You traveled all the way from Hestyri to see a brother? You are a very dedicated family man, then.” The commander snorted.
“I didn’t come for that only. I came because…I had to. I was commanded.”
“Commanded?”
“I told you, I take orders from only One.” The Amaras returned, “And well, He commanded I come here for reasons he’s yet to explain to me. At any rate, I figured that while I was here on His orders, waiting for my task, I might as well see my brother.” He shrugged. “After all, I traveled halfway across the known world to be in his backyard.”
To this, all three of the Savaricans chuckled. The Amaras went on.
“But when I tracked him down as a vassal of Count Chace of Herrsan, I learned he had moved further up into the Countess’s territory. I followed his trail. Eventually it led me to two weeks ago, when I found his farm, but where he had quickly abandoned it and been conscripted into the Vadirska Carl Guard. From there, it was easy to tell where he had gone. He had gone to this castle, or rather, been sent to defend it. Some week or so before it was attacked, I suppose. I…have not found his body, yet. But it is here.” After that, the older Amaras opened his mouth, as if to say more, but he fell silent. The others sat around the fire, also quiet, lost in thought and considering this story.
“So you came halfway across the world for reasons no one told you, because your…eh, Master called you to, decided to go look and visit with your brother a little, having no direct orders. And traced him to this battlefield.” Jyon couldn’t help but be a little more suspicious of the story.
“Well yes, in short. But I didn’t come alone. I brought my student with me, but yes. Between the two of us, that’s what we’ve been doing. Until the Good Creator shows us what we’re here to do. He always does. We just have to wait and watch.” The Amaras smiled slightly, meddling with his pack as he spoke.
Gaeljwen’s eyes narrowed. “Your apprentice?”
“No, my student. Amaras don’t take on indentured servants, we merely teach pupils willing to learn.” It seemed a very technical detail to be worried about, but the young lad let him have it.
“Very well. Where is your student, then?”
“Out probably either hunting for food or just wandering. Probably having some quiet time and letting me have mine.” He shrugged. “After you’ve traveled half the world with someone that’s like a child to you, you come to understand one another.”
“And we have interrupted you.” The huscarl commander grunted, making a move as if to leave. He of the three of them knew he didn’t want to offend this man or his pupil. Whatever they said, these Amaras warriors were always forces to be reckoned with.
“No, not at all!” Asa quickly replied, sitting back into a more comfortable position along the wall. “There…is a time for mourning and a time for other things. Besides, I am not in sorrow.” A small, almost bittersweet smile tugged at his weather-beaten face. “My brother trusted in the Light. I will see him again.”
The commander didn’t understand much of this semi-religious lingo, but he got the idea that the Amaras didn’t mind him staying. He seated himself again on the cold stone. “Good.” He replied, the best he could come up with in the way of comfort.
Asa didn’t seem to mind. “And besides, if you speak rightly, than this IS your castle anyway. It is me who should be asking your pardon.” He chuckled.
“Ach, don’t worry about it! The Countess isn’t as mean and narrow as Count Davardi or Herrsan, she’s…”
“I think I’d like to step outside for some air, with permission, commander.” Gaeljwen, suddenly, spoke up and disturbed the conversation unexpectedly. All eyes turned to the large, inexperienced boy for a moment.
“Just for a minute.” He added, as if an afterthought.
The commander was half minded to cuff the lad for his impertinent timing and interrupting, but catching the gaze of the Amaras beside him out of the corner of his eye, he decided he could find a better time to enforce discipline.
“Alright. Hurry back.” He grunted, and turned again to Asa. The two went on talking of Vadirska.
Gaeljwen, nodding to his comrade Jyon, quickly scrambled out of the shelter and stood up in the cold air outside. Jyon’s attention was too fixed on the Amaras stranger to even really notice much of his good friend’s leaving, let along go with him. Gaeljwen’s mind whirled. He merely needed time to think. This was too much for him to process all at once.
He strode out towards where the outer wall should have been, that overlooked the vast plains to the north and the wilds beyond.